The Ottawa Senators prospects 46 goals were good for a Sea Dogs team record, eclipsing Scott Howes’ 42-goal campaign in 2007-08.The Kitchener, Ont. native didn’t stop at MVP though, picking up the Frank-J.-Selke Trophy as Most Sportsmanlike.

“Along with his 85 points, Hoffman received only 38 penalty minutes in 56 games,” read the release.

But Saint John’s success would not have happened if it was not for the outstanding coaching job by Gerard Gallant.

"Turk" was given a big task when he entered the Dogs organization, having to battle through his rookie coaching year in junior hockey with a relatively young and inexperienced team. He proved a lot of doubters wrong and lead the Sea Dogs to a regular season championship and 22-straight wins along the way.

Gallant was awarded for his efforts, winning the Ron-Lapointe Trophy as Coach of the Year.

“Gallant led the team to the regular season championship after a 109-point season; the first in franchise history,” stated the league.

"We have a lot of depth on our team," said Gallant to the Canadian Press. "Our three 20-years olds - Hoffman, (Nicholas) Petersen and (goaltender Marco) Cousineau - that's a big part of our club.

"But we had a great draft last year. Seven of our kids 17 or younger are playing on our club and they're good players, so our depth is amazing and a big reason we won so many games."

Tomas Jurco and Stanislav Galiev fell short in their dream of being named rookie of the year. Petr Straka of the Rimouski Oceanic, who lead the league in rookie scoring, took home the RDS Cup as the top first year player.

Brandon Gormley of the Moncton Wildcats also beat Galiev for the Top Proffesional Prospect award.

It could be said that it is a fluke that the Gatineau Olympiques are playing the Saint John Sea Dogs in round two of the post-season. But then again, just forcing their first round match-up with the Montreal Junior to seven games was a major accomplishment.

Last night’s game seven tilt at the Verdun Auditorium went to double overtime, this after Gatineau fell down 3-1 in the series. It ended in bizarre fashion.

Hubert Labrie and the Gatineau Olympiques aren't complaining, though, after Labrie's shot from inside the red line bounced off the end boards, hit the skate of netminder Jean-François Bérubé and bounced into the goal at 1:58 of double overtime to give the Olympiques a 2-1 win in Game 7 of their opening-round playoff series with the Montreal Junior.

OMG... Knew it would be be a garbage goal to win it... #Juniors season is over trickled through goalies pads on nothing play.It may have been for the better for Saint John though, as they have destroyed the Olympiques this season and struggled against the Junior.

"They are all pretty solid hockey teams and they have played well in the playoffs," Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant said to the Telegraph-Journalof the possibility of playing Chicoutimi, Gatineau, or Montreal. "We are confident in our hockey team but we know our opponent is going to be a good test for us."

The Sea Dogs are 3-0 against Gatineau this season, outscoring them 17-5. Saint John defeated the ‘Piques 2-0 at Harbour Station, and 8-0 and 7-5 in Gatineau.

In Saint John’s 8-0 win, the Olympiques failed to get a shot on goal in the second period.

A full schedule for the Saint John – Gatineau series can be found below. All times are listed in Atlantic Standard.

The 2010 edition of the QMJHL’s Golden Puck Awards is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night in Montreal, with several members of the regular season champion Saint John Sea Dogs having been nominated for various league awards.

SEA DOGS COULD WIN BIG TONIGHTIn the four years of Saint John Sea Dogs hockey, only Payton Liske (Top Scholastic Player) has won a major league award.

PREDICTIONSWith the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League set to hand out their yearly hardware tonight in Montreal, what better way to celebrate then enlightening the world with our predictions.

Below are the lists of trophies that will presented at this year’s Golden Puck Awards ceremony. The nominees for each award are listed below. Remember, this is who we think will win, not who we think should win.

Prediction: Petr Straka – We think Galiev should win, but playing with Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen all season could hurt him. Then again, it could be said that being able to play with two NHL drafted 20-year olds is an asset.

Prediction: Danny Flynn – This is a tough one and could go any way tonight. We are taking Flynn because it takes a brave man to deal with Neil Hodge and Les Stoodley for an entire season. Surviving H1N1 will be considered an asset.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

With several Saint John Sea Dogs players still recovering from their playoff wounds, Associate Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Mike Kelly made some moves today. The team announced that they have called up both Tyrone Sock and Will Johnston to help the club move forward into the second round.

Johnston, who has been a frequent flyer when it comes to being called up, has played in five games with Saint John this year. He has amassed one goal, five penalty minutes, and a -1 rating in his stint with the QMJHL club. The tough guy is most notably remembered for his fight against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles' Kalin Paul.

The 19-year old winger recorded a career-high 45 points (23G-22A) in 42 games played with the Summerside Western Capitals this year, also leading the MJAHL in penalty minutes with 224.

The Capitals were eliminated from playoff contention last week, falling in five games to the Woodstock Slammers. Johnston recorded two assists in two playoff games while recording 17 penalty minutes.

Johnston was suspended for 10 games on March 15 by the MJAHL after he was given a checking from behind major penalty. Miramichi captain Chris Owens was knocked out of the series after suffering a Grade 3 concussion and multiple facial fractures on the play, which took place just inside the blue-line on the right wing by the Miramichi bench.

Sock started the season with Saint John with Simon Despres and Yann Sauve away at National Hockey League training camps. He was originally drafted by Saint John in the fourth round, 64th overall in the 2009 QMJHL entry draft.

The 17-year old tallied 33GP-8G-17A-25P-50PIM with the Miramichi Rivermen (NB-PEI-MMHL) during the 09-10 campaign, adding 9GP-0G-4A-2PIM during a successful playoff run which saw the Rivermen capturing a provincial title. Miramichi came within a single game of winning an Atlantic Major Midget Championship this past weekend, dropping a 6-3 decision to St. John’s in the five-team tournament’s finale.

His one game with the Sea Dogs this season was an eventful one. He dropped the gloves with Bathurst tough guy Vincent Arseneau during season opener at the KC Irving Regional Centre on September 11, 2009.

According to today’s Telegraph-Journal, Kevin Gagne will miss both game one and game two of round two with a knee injury. Nicholas Pard (shoulder) is questionable for game one. Steven Anthony (groin) and Aiden Kelly (concussion) both skated yesterday and are progressing in their recovery.

Monday, March 29, 2010

MacDONALD HELPS HUSKIESSaint John Sea Dogs alumnus David MacDonald helped the Saint Mary’s Huskies win the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s hockey title last night in Thunder Bay. The Huskies defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 3-2 in overtime to win the school’s first ever national championship.

The former Sea Dogs captain joins goaltender Travis Fullerton as alumni who have won the trophy.

The tournament will be held in Fredericton next year.

THE NEXT VICTIMThe Sea Dogs are still waiting to see who they will play in the next round of the 2010 Presidents Cup Playoffs. The team does know that game one will be held on Friday at Harbour Station at 7:30. Game two goes Saturday at 7:00 pm in Saint John as well.

The Dogs will know their dance partner on Tuesday night following two game sevens. If Chicoutimi manages to defeat Rimouski, Richard Martel and the Sagueneens will be in town this weekend. If Rimouski wins, the Dogs will play the winner of the Montreal vs Gatineau game.

Of note, Saint John has never won a game at Verdun Auditorium against the team formerly-known-as-the-Fog Devils.

ROUND TWO TICKETS AVAILABLEPRESS RELEASEThe Sea Dogs will open their second round series on Friday, April 2 (puck drop – 7:30pm) at Harbour Station, with Game 2 of the best-of-seven showdown set to take place the following evening at 7pm. Tickets to both of these matchups versus a to-be-determined opponent are on sale now. They can be bought by going to the Harbour Station website or the box office during the week.

THE NEXT WAVEAn article on NHL.com took at look at some of the highly touted Russian prospects for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Forward Stanislav Galiev got the mention.

"He can play a more physical game because he played in the USHL (with the Indiana Ice) last year, so he's used to that," Bordeleau said. "Galiev is a hard worker and has played very well and is a great skater. He plays on a very good team (with much older linemates in Mike Hoffman and Nick Petersen) and sometimes these older guys don't seem to give him the puck as much as he would want. Still, he's highly rated for us."

"Galiev is very explosive and highly skilled," said western scout Jack Barzee, who watched Galiev in the United States Hockey League last season. "He's a threat every time he's on the ice to score a big goal. Right now though, it's open for debate where he'll go in the draft. I projected him last year as a top guy coming out of the USHL."

DANCIN’ MACHINEA Facebook page has been created for our boy Brendan McNeil - also known as the dancing machine that sits in section “t.” The page already had 109 fans at the time of this publication.

Brendan has become quite a star at Harbour Station after only two appearances. He could be seen dancing and waving his rally towel during every stoppage in play. He even had the entire "ScotiaZone" up on their feet and “getting funky,” as the kids say.

AMYOT GOING FOR ITFormer Sea Dog defenseman and current Halifax Moosehead Pascal Amyot is trying to win the Marcel Robert Trophy as the league’s top scholastic player.

AT LEAST WE ARE CONSISTENTIf there was an award for most consistent playoff attendance, the Sea Dogs would have the trophy in the bag. Here are the playoff attendance numbers so far:

Game one: 4,218Game two: 4,232Game five: 4,252

Through three post-season games, Saint John is averaging 4,234 fans at the 6,297 seat Harbour Station. Through 68 regular season games, the Port City averaged 4,141 fans.

Many are not pleased with attendance so far, but round one rarely draws huge numbers. In 2008, the team’s first ever playoff run, Saint John averaged 5,666 fans in their first three playoff games. The first sell-out did not come until game two of the second round.

MONCTON MESS-UPMany news sources have stated over the past week that Saint John will play Moncton in the next round of the playoffs. Obviously, that is not true.

It was an honest mistake though, as the QMJHL playoff tree would lead many to believe that the two foes would meet in the next round.

Dogs President Wayne Long tells CHSJ News, for most fans, the dream match-up is Saint John taking on the Wildcats.

Long adds the team isn't looking any further ahead than each series it is playing.

PARTY TIMEIt sneaks up on us every year, but the QMJHL’s Golden Puck Awards Gala goes this Wednesday evening in Montreal.

Superstar sniper Mike Hoffman is up for two trophies (Most Valuable Player & Sportsman of the Year), as is freshman forward Stanislav Galiev (Rookie of the Year & Top Professional Prospect). Import winger Tomas Jurco is also up for Rookie of the Year, while bench boss Gerard Gallant has been short-listed for the league’s Coach of the Year Award.

Station Nation is hoping to have our predictions up by Wednesday.

OT LOSS BROKE THE CAMELS BACKThe Prince Edward Island Rocket believe that it was the game three overtime loss in Charlottetown that ultimately did them in against Saint John.

"I think that was the dagger that killed us,'' said Michael Stinziani to the Telegraph-Journal. "It was a great series, we battled.''

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Former Saint John Sea Dogs captain David MacDonald and the Saint Mary’s Huskies will try to capture the Cavendish University Cup tonight against the Alberta Golden Bears. This is the first time in 37-years the Huskies have reached the national final.

The third-ranked Huskies (2-0) reached the final by blanking the No. 5 Manitoba Bisons 5-0 Saturday afternoon at the CIS University Cup in Thunder Bay, Ont. Top-ranked Alberta dropped the host Lakehead Thunderwolves 5-3 in the evening game.

Saint Mary’s hasn’t advanced to a Canadian university hockey final since the Bob Boucher-coached Huskies went to four consecutive national championship games from 1970 to 1973. SMU lost each of those finals to the Toronto Varsity Blues.

MacDonald, who was traded to Saint John from the Moncton Wildcats in 2006, played in 60 games with the Sea Dogs during the 2006-07 campaign. He scored nine goals and recorded 22 assists in those games while amassing a -29 rating.

The (at the time) 20-year old defenseman was named captain following a trade that saw Charles Bergeron sent to Bathurst mid-season.

With the Huskies, MacDonald has recorded 5G-39A-44P in 74 games played over the course of three seasons in Atlantic University Sport.

MacDonald infamously looked like a 50-year old man in his Sea Dogs Game Day Program profile picture back in the day.

The game can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet tonight at 8:00 pm. He'll look to join UNB Varsity Red Travis Fullerton as the only other former Dog to have won a CIS title.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHESAiden Kelly missed the game because of a concussion, Nicholas Pard missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury, and Steven Anthony missed his fourth straight game with groin injury. Anthony could be seen on the ice celebrating with his team mates after the game.

In other injury news, Kevin Gagne was hit in front of the Rocket crease in the second period. He did not play again in the game.

SEA DOGS ADVANCEWith a 7-2 win last night at Harbour Station against the Prince Edward Island, the Saint John Sea Dogs advance to the second round of the post-season for only the second time in the teams five-year history.

The Port City squad won the series four games to one.

Saint John will play the lowest seeded team that moves on to the next round. That game goes Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

A GAME WELL PLAYEDGame five was the best game played by Saint John in their opening round series against PEI. In the past four games it may have been the offence, or the defense, or a combination of the two that held the Sea Dogs’ back from domination. But on Friday night, the team finally played to their full ability.

“We just played the game like we can. In the last two games we didn’t play our game,” said Jonathan Huberdeau to The Guardianfollowing the game. “Just (kept) it simple.”

The Sea Dogs played a full 60-minute game and held control for most of the affair. Saint John outshot the Rocket 41-29 in the tilt, including a 19-5 margin in the first period.

HELLO HUBERDEAUJonathan Huberdeau has shown up for the playoffs.

The rookie scored his second career hat trick and first in the post-season on Friday night. The first year players three goals was all that was needed for Saint John as PEI could only muster two goals.

Huberdeau played on a line with Michael Kirkpatrick and Nicholas Petersen. Along with a goal in each period, “Joe” also had an assist.

His third goal was a tip in from a point shot that just squeaked in past Evan Mosher in the Rocket cage. Nobody in the building realized Huberdeau got a stick on it, resulting in not hats being thrown.

PETERSEN AWAKENSEntering last night's game, Nicholas Petersen was off to a slow start in the playoffs following a solid regular season. His play resulted in the Sea Dogs coaching staff moving him to the second line from the first line where he has played all season.

The move seemed to work as the Pittsburgh Penguin prospect was all over this game. The 20-year old recorded four assists, had six penalty minutes, was a +5, and had three hits.

With Petersen on the second line with Michael Kirkpatrick and Jonathan Huberdeau, Tomas Jurco made the jump to the first line with Mike Hoffman and Stanislav Galiev.

THE GOODBYESThe last 10 seconds of the game were a wash as neither team really cared about the puck. Both teams gathered in their respected creases after the horn blew, with the PEI Rocket listening to a speech given by somebody amongst the huddle.

Yann Sauve led the long row of handshakes and really clogged up the line with lots of talk with several of the PEI players.

At the end of the line stood former Rocket goaltender Marco Cousineau, who started the season with PEI following a trade from Drummondville. Following the handshakes with his ex-team mates, Cousineau skated over to the bench to shake hands with the Rocket bench staff.

STRANGE ANNOUNCEMENTSThere were some bizarre announcements at Harbour Station last night. The first came when it was announced that roads were slippery due to falling temperatures. The other came with 1:25 left in the third period, when it was declared that second round playoff tickets would go on sale on Saturday. Again, this was with over a minute remaining in the game.

Also, the woman (whose name we always forget) who does the intermission junk was not there to start the game.

THOMAS THROWS DOWN THE HAMMERCaptain Mike Thomas of all people scored two goals in this game. The first came off a nice shot in the slot that went over the glove of Mosher. The second came when a Nathan Beaulieu point shot went off him and in late in the third period.

Andrew McGilligan, who chose the three stars, made it clear on the News 88.9 post-game show that he was not chosen as a star because they were submitted early in the third.

COUSY LIGHTS IT UPMarco Cousineau was credited with an assist on Danick Gauthier’s end-to-end third period goal. It is not the first time a goaltender has been awarded a point in the playoffs though, with Travis Fullerton also getting an assist in the 2008 post-season.

TRIBUTE TIMEStation Nation gives a salute to all the PEI Rocket fans who made the trip to Saint John for all three games at Harbour Station over the past week. They were very loud with their “let’s go Rocket” chants and delayed goal celebrations.

The large group, who according to Charles Reid’s live blog consisted of around 125 fans, stood by the visiting bench tunnel prior to each game. Of course, that partly came to an end last night when a Harbour Station employee told a young fan to stop placing his hand on the glass. Heaven forbid.

SEADOGSTV HIGHLIGHTS

CHSJ NEWS HIGHLIGHTThe last few minutes of the game in its entirety:

QUICK HITSThe dancing legend “Brendan” was back at Harbour Station after a week off. He just didn’t have the passion he had last week though, even with his face painted in blue and black… Aliant handed out player cards again. So far the set includes Mike Hoffman, Nicholas Petersen, and Marco Cousineau. All three played in the league final last year… there was a moment of silence before the game following the death of two season ticket holders… Alexandre Leduc was back again last night. If you are wondering why he has been in Saint John so much, Tom Roszell said his girlfriend still lives in the city… former Sea Dog Francois “Go-Go” Gauthier was at the game… Sea Dogs fans did an excellent job all series long at taunting Rocket net minder Evan Mosher… Telegraph-Journal sports columnist Peter McGuire celebrated a birthday… speaking of T-J, there was no game story in today’s paper because the game did not end by press time. Very odd… the "good-bye" chants began around the 10-minute mark of the third period… Tweet Photo from last night’s victory celebration via "scottclementssj."

NEXT GAMEThe Sea Dogs take on the lowest seeded team that moves on this Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station in game one. Tickets to this game and game two which takes place on Saturday are on-sale now.

The Saint John Sea Dogs rookie forward scored a hat trick in a 7-2 win over the Rocket at Harbour Station on Friday night. The win awarded Saint John a 4-1 series win in the opening round showdown, dismissing the Rocket from the first round yet again.

Mike Thomas had two goals in the game while singles came from Danick Gauthier and Stanislav Galiev. PEI goals came from Benjamin Casavant and Jonathan Bonneau.

It was easily the best game played by Saint John in the abbreviated best-of-seven matchup. The Sea Dogs finally played a full 60-minute game, something that has plagued the team over the past month.

Marco Cousineau was sensational in net, making some great saves with the pads when it mattered most. Rocket net minder Evan Mosher also played a strong game just like he has all series. But finally fell victim to the wicked skill possessed by the Dogs.

Zach Phillips had the first chance early in the game. The Fredericton boy skated around the crease and came out in front where he released a wide range backhand shot that somehow stayed out.

Saint John quickly made it 1-0 at 3:37. Nicholas Petersen made several nice moves to get around the Rocket defense. His moves got Mosher to commit in the Rocket crease, allowing Huberdeau to easily beat the PEI goalie after accepting a pass in close.

Petersen was sent to the box at 3:57 after a scrum in the Rocket crease. But Saint John had the best chance as captain Thomas unleashed a wrist shot that was stopped by Mosher. But the puck squirted free and almost crossed the line before Mosher got the paddle down to sweep away the puck.

Samson Mahbod got called for holding at 4:17. After Mosher was hit square in the head by a point shot, Cousineau robbed Mahbod who came out of the box and fired a one timer into the pads of the former PEI goaltender.

Thomas let another shot go that was stopped soon after, with Phillips denied by Mosher’s pad on the rebound.

The Sea Dogs made it 2-0 at 16:55 when Petersen made a beautiful cross ice pass to a streaking Galiev who had a wide open cage.

Shots in the first frame were 19-5 Saint John.

Prior to Jordan Southorn standing up Galiev at the blue line, Josh Currie was stoned by Cousineau at the side of the goal with the pad. Then Simon Despres fired a point shot through traffic that found its way dinging off the post.

PEI got back in the game at 7:06 when Jean-Philippe Mathieu set up Casavant. The Rocket captain made a pass from along the boards to the streaking Washington Capitals prospect to make it a 2-1 game.

Nathan Beaulieu went to the box at 8:47. Thomas made a great play while playing with a man down, sending a cross crease pass to Mike Hoffman who could smell a goal. But Mosher got the glove up to take away the marker from the Sea Dogs’ regular season goal leader.

When the power play ended for the Rocket, Derek Famulare hit Kevin Gagne in front of the net. Gagne left the game momentarily and did not play again.

Huberdeau got his second of the game at 13:59 from a pass from along the boards to make it a 3-1 game.

Not long after at 14:52, Thomas was left alone in the slot and took a pass from the corner. He wired a shot over Mosher’s glove to make it a 4-1 Saint John lead.

Brendan Wright headed off for two minutes in the sin bin at 15:45. The best chance on the man advantage came when Petersen broke loose on a breakaway but was stopped by the blocker of Mosher.

Shots in the middle stanza were 11-10 Saint John.

With PEI’s season on the line and down by three, Petersen headed off to serve a four minute high sticking penalty at 5:02. But the Rocket just could not get by the Sea Dogs’ penalty killing performance to get back in the game.

Stephen Macaulay made an unreal play in front following the penalties expiration. The Nova Scotian was left alone in close with the puck and managed to get a solid backhand shot off while falling on to his backside.

Gauthier scored at 14:05 to put the game out of reach and give the Dogs a 5-1 lead. Gauther went coast-to-coast and made some great moves to break in. He then went backhand-to-forehand to finish off a beautiful play.

With Huberdeau in the box for slashing at 14:22, Bonneau banged in a rebound to make it a 5-2 game.

But Saint John got the goal right back. Yann Sauve fired a point shot that was tipped by Huberdeau for his third of the game.

Then on the power play at 18:07, Nathan Beaulieu fired a point shot that somehow hit a fallen Thomas in front and deflected over Mosher and in. That put in a fork in the Rocket as they fell 7-2 on this night.

Friday, March 26, 2010

GETTING CLEARERHarbour Station sent this Tweet out on Wednesday on their new high definition video screen:

HD is coming to HS!! The new score clock displays and video equipment are expected to arrive at the end of the hockey season!

If you are not following the building on Facebook, you are really missing out on comments like this one:

This Fri Nite -Seadogs Kick Ass at Harbour Station.Lets make it a SELL OUT!!!!!!

2007-08 FLASHBACK PICTURESWe stumbled across some Sea Dogs pictures from the 2007-08 season on Twitter the other day. Click HERE to check them out.

POLL RESULTSThis week’s poll results are in. The question was: How many game will the Sea Dogs’ first round playoff series last?

Four Games- 8Five Games- 13Six Games- 5Seven Games- 2

Thanks to all who voted. This week’s question is: Should horns be allowed at Harbour Station.

HIT VIDEO SENT TO LEAGUEIt was revealed by the Guardian newspaper in Charlottetown on Tuesday that a DVD of Jordan Southorn’s hit on Chuckie Schembri on Saturday was sent to the league for review. Southorn was given a five minute charging major and a game misconduct on the play.

The league reviewed the tape and did not suspend Southorn for game three.

Mike Kelly, Sea Dogs director of hockey operations and associate coach, followed through on his promise to media after the game he would look at the hit on video and, if need be, send it to the league.

“I don’t understand what Mike Kelly and Gerard Gallant (Sea Dogs head coach and Summerside native) are doing with that,” said Rocket president Serge Savard Jr.

“It was borderline two minutes. (They’re) just trying to play in our head.”

PEI got their revenge by sending in a copy of Yann Sauve’s game three elbow to the league. No suspension was given out on that either.

WALL RETURNS TO MONCTONAlex Wall returned to the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday night in Cape Breton. He suffered a concussion on a hit from Mike Thomas on March 5 at Harbour Station.

Thomas, who also returned Tuesday, was suspended six games for the hit.

NO MORE WHALESThe Plymouth Whalers have chosen the slogan of death for their playoff run. That’s a shame.

TURK THROWS A TURKEY FITIf you missed Wednesday’s Telegraph-Journal, you really missed out some great lines from Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant. Remember, this came after a 3-0 road win.

"We got away with a win. They were flat, too, and things didn't go well for them, but that's not the way we (need) to play. Our D turned the puck over more tonight than we did all season long.

"That's embarrassing for me. It doesn't matter what your opponent plays like, we have a game to play and we have to play it.''

In the event that Saint John wins on Friday, tickets to Round Two of the playoffs will go on sale on Saturday at 12pm noon at the Harbour Station Box Office (657-1234). Should the series be extended by P.E.I. on Friday and again on Sunday, tickets to Game 7 would go on sale Monday morning at 10am.

FINAL ATTENDANCE NUMBERSThe Saint John Sea Dogs averaged 4,141 fans per game this season at Harbour Station. It is the fourth highest average in the QMJHL and the second highest in club history.

The number, however, is only 65.75% of Harbour Station’s total capacity of 6,297.

Bathurst had the smallest average again this season with only 1,390 fans per game. Lewiston finished 15th with an average of 1,853. They had less than 900 fans for both of their post-season games against Drummondville on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Quebec Remparts averaged a league 12,088 fans per game. According to ESPN, the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes are only averaging 11,581 fans.

STILL LEADING THE WAYWhile Chris DiDomenico helped his Drummondville Voltigeurs sweep the Lewiston MAINEiacs out of round one, he also picked up the league’s playoff scoring lead. DiDomenico has two goals and eight assists in four games.

MAKES YOU THINKGoaltender Karel St. Laurent could become a statistical anomaly if he keeps this post-season going. St. Laurent has the misfortune of allowing an empty net goal while never facing a shot in one minute and 15 seconds of playoff action.

PRE-GAME PREVIEWIt’s cliché time for the Prince Edward Island Rocket. Down 3-1 in their opening round best-of-seven series, the Rocket face elimination tonight in Saint John.

The Sea Dogs defeated the Rocket in Charlottetown 2-1 in overtime on Wednesday. It was game that saw little offence from either team with PEI having momentum – and the lead – for much of the affair. Saint John didn’t score until the final three minutes of the third period, ultimately setting up Tomas Jurco’s overtime marker.

“We really wanted (to win) both games here. It was a tough game, a tight game,” said Jurco to The Guardian. “We’re really happy to win.”

Jurco leads the Sea Dogs in playoff scoring with seven points, including at least a point in all four games played so far.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGThe consensus pick for this series is Sea Dogs in five games.

CRAZY FACTThis is the first round one game five game in Sea Dogs history. It is only the second game five in team history. The first game saw Saint John lose 6-4 to Bathurst on home ice.

SAINT JOHN LINEUP NOTESAiden Kelly will not play due to a concussion… Steven Anthony is questionable with a groin injury. He has missed the last three games… Nicholas Pard missed Wednesday’s game with a shoulder injury. A time for his return has not been released.

ROCKET JINXA PEI loss means yet another first round exit for the Rocket. Since moving to the Island, the Rocket have only advanced to the second round once.

ALMOST THEREIt’s not like the Rocket have been totally shut down in this series by Saint John. In game one, nerves got to the Rocket. After pulling off a solid 6-3 win in game two, PEI fell 3-0 on home ice as their offence ran dry.

PEI captain Jean-Philippe Mathieu, who said he believed in his team after Tuessday’s 3-0 loss in Game 3, won’t change his view heading into Game 5.

“Definitely. What happened (Wednesday) only proved to me what I said (Tuesday),” he said.

FLASHBACK FRIDAYA look back at round one of the 2008 post-season vs PEI.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Yann Sauve will have a target on his back tonight after being ejected from Wednesday’s game due to a checking from behind penalty. The victim, Jarrad Struthers, stayed in the game.

Net minder Evan Mosher has been superb in this series. Although he has allowed 14 goals in four games, Mosher has kept the Rocket in it.

The Rocket have proved three times this year that they can beat Saint John at Harbour Station.

Only one series (Drummondville vs Lewiston) lasted just four games. All others have at least a game five to play.

Adam Polasek and Guillaume Pelletier are a team worst -5. Jarrad Struthers is a team high +3.

After finishing the season with a team high +46 rating, Nicholas Petersen is a team worst -3 in four games. Simon Despres is a team high +4.

Guardian reporter Charles Reid will be producing his live blog from Harbour Station again tonight.

THE RINKVenue: Harbour StationCapacity: 6,297Playoff Average Attendance: 4,225Reg. Season Average Attendance: 4,140

AFTER THE BUZZERA Sea Dogs loss means game six will be played on Sunday in Charlottetown at 4:00 pm. A win shoots Saint John into the quarter-finals which will likely begin next Friday at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

SAINT JOHN SCRATCHESAiden Kelly missed the game with a concussion and Steven Anthony was out with a groin injury. Nicholas Pard missed his first game of the post-season with a shoulder injury. He joined Tim Roszell as colour commentator in the first period. His status and time for return is unknown.

JUST A BAD GAMEThis game looked a lot like an old timer’s game. It was slow paced at times and then picked up for moment or too. Neither team had great scoring chances with the puck sitting in the neutral zone for a portion of time. Yes, this describes game four of the first round of the 2010 playoffs.

Saint John never really found their legs until the final three minutes of the third period. Prior to that, the PEI Rocket managed to score half way through the first, a goal that hold up for over 57 minutes.

Neither team could generate any offence on the night. Whether the offence was that bad or the defense was that good is hard to tell. Saint John’s defense, which was criticized following their game three performance, seemed to play well for most of the tilt.

Despite the lack of goal scoring ability, the Rocket had the upper hand for most of the game. But good fortune has been on the side of the Sea Dogs all season and was proved once again as the Dogs took a 2-1 overtime win.

"I'm really proud of our team,'' said Saint John head coach Gerard Gallant to the Telegraph-Journal. "It was good how we found a way to win. It was a hell of a game.''

The Dogs lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.

JUST CHILLIN’With five minutes left in the game and PEI up 1-0, the Rocket chose to sit back and try to battle through the Saint John surge instead of attacking.

It didn’t work at all.

“It’s definitely not what the team wanted. We can’t back off and that’s what we did,” said J-P Mathieu to The Guardian. “We played a bit scared, not willing to win. Most of the game we were right there.”

Evidence of the Rocket’s third period work can be seen on the shots on goal counter, with PEI only firing two shots to Saint John’s seven.

RANDOM STUFFStrange comment of the day comes from the Charlottetown Guardian:

the sound of one hand clapping from Ch'town, PE writes: 1900 & change...jobs are on the line.

like i said,great support rocket fans.

bye bye mon cowboy...GO SEA DOGS!!!

(btw, i won a free coffee on timmy's role up...who won the 50/50? )

OT DOMINANCEIn overtime, Saint John either wanted to head home quickly or the Rocket don’t understand the meaning of “sudden death.”

"All (through) overtime, we dominated,'' said Jurco, who leads the Sea Dogs with seven playoff points.

"We worked hard and they know we have skilled players and they were trying to be tough, but I think we were tough, too.''

The Sea Dogs outshot PEI 4-1, with almost the entire 3:55 played in the Saint John zone.

"We really took over in overtime,'' Gallant said. "We skated really well and we had great chances. We're an offensive team that can skate and we just wanted to play our game without taking any risks.''

Saint John is 2-1 all-time in playoff overtime.

GOOD GOALTENDINGBoth Evan Mosher and Marco Cousineau put in strong efforts on Wednesday night in Charlottetown.

Mosher continued his phenomenal playoff performance by stopping 28 of 30 shots. Neither goal he let in could be considered bad goals with the first coming from a cross ice pass and the other a surprisingly quick shot.

Cousineau was overlooked in this game even with PEI having some terrific scoring chances. Saint John allowed a few odd-man rushes but “Cousy” was there to back them up.

SAUVE GETS THE BOOTJust 44-seconds into the second period, Yann Sauve was tossed after he received a five minute major penalty for checking from behind. He leveled Jarred Struthers in the corner in what appeared to be a nasty face plant into the boards.

Struthers returned on the power play shortly after, a man advantage that saw PEI only record one shot.

A DVD of Sauve’s game three elbow was sent to league already with no suspension given. Ever since then, the Civic Centre faithful have been booing the 19-year old. News 88.9 said that Sauve really doesn’t know why they have been booing him immensely.

BIZARRO-WORLD SCHEMBRIWhen Chuckie Schembri was called up for game two, he was expected to throw the body around. The opposite has happened so far.

After getting rocked by Jordan Southorn last Saturday, Schembri had two good scoring chances in front but was thrown off the puck on both opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTSSome good shots of the Yann Sauve hit.

QUICK HITSThe game started a few minutes late with some light problems at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. It was darkness for several minutes and the lights took some time to come on… Charles Reid and his live blog continued their fight against the Civic Centre internet “gremlins.” Keep the faith Charles… the only other Sea Dog to score a playoff overtime goal was Payton Liske in 2008… Saint John averaged 4.5 goals per game in the regular season… News 88.9’s Tim Roszell made it very well known that there will be no commercials in overtime hockey.

NEXT GAMESaint John can move on to the quarter-finals with a win in game five on Friday. Game time is 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

CHARLOTTETOWN – There is no question which team should have won this game.

For 57 minutes, the Prince Edward Island Rocket were all over the number two team in the country. But they are nationally ranked for a reason.

Nicholas Petersen scored late in the third and Tomas Jurco ended the game in overtime as the Saint John Sea Dogs took a 3-1 series lead thanks to a 2-1 win at the Civic Centre Wednesday.

The Sea Dogs, the top offensive team in the QMJHL this season, couldn’t get anything going offensively all night long until the dying minutes of the game. The PEI defense did another solid job against Saint John as they have done several times this year.

Net minder Evan Mosher was phenomenal in the Rocket crease, making some great saves on the Port City snipers. Many of his saves will not be on a highlight reel because he kept his play so simple and made stopping pucks look easy.

Marco Cousineau also played solid for Saint John, making some key saves when he had to. That included several breakaway’s and odd man rushes.

One of the stories of the post-season has been Saint John’s power play resurgence, but if went 0/4 on this night. The rocket went 1/5.

After a brief lighting delay to start this one, Stanislav Galiev was sent in all alone with Nicholas Petersen beside him. Galiev chose to shoot with Evan Mosher making the easy pad save. Then Mike Hoffman had a chance in front as he was left all alone. The Ottawa Senators prospect tried to go to the backhand but was robbed by the diving Mosher.

The physical play heated up half way through the first. Galiev laid a big hit on Jonathan Bonneau and then received a hit from Jarred Struthers. Mike Thomas leveled J-P Mathieu in the neutral zone and took a stick in the face that went unnoticed.

Samson Mahbod had the first real chance for PEI when he was stopped on a backhander as he streaked down the wing.

Jonathan Huberdeau took a penalty at 11:43 after taking down Brendan Wright. On the power play, Bonneau sent a wonderful cross ice pass down low to a creeping Mathieu. The Rocket captain beat a sprawling Cousineau to make it 1-0.

Jarrad Struthers got called for roughing at 12:26. But it was PEI who had the best chance in the two minute span. Hoffman made a bizarre play and allowed Michael Stinziani to go in alone on a partial break but was stopped by Cousineau.

The Rocket kept the pressure going when Mahbod took a short pass in the slot and deked to the backhand in close but was denied by the pad of the Saint John net minder. Then Cousineau was back at it when he robbed Bonneau at the side of the goal with a cross crease save.

Shots in the first period were 10-9 Rocket.

It was an uneventful second period on the offensive side of the game with neither team able to muster many scoring chances.

Yann Sauve was tossed from the game and given a five minute major penalty after he hit Struthers from behind in the corner at 0:44. The Rocket forward sat on the ice for a few minutes before going off under his own power. The Rocket looked poised to break the game open, but failed on the long power play opportunity and didn’t have many great scoring chances. The best came when Stinziani tried a wraparound chance that was stopped by Cousineau.

The Sea Dogs killed off another penalty at 7:38 when Michael Kirkpatrick went to the box. But when the penalty kill ended, Petersen had a great chance to tie the game as he picked off a turn over at the blue line. The 20-year old broke in and deked around a defenseman but couldn’t get a good shot off in the limited space.

At 14:58, Mahbod headed to the box for PEI. On the man advantage, Hoffman let a point shot go through traffic but was robbed by the glove of Mosher. Saint John had some solid pressure but couldn’t get many shots off.

Shots in the second were 10 apiece.

Galiev had the best chance early on with Mosher out of position and flopping all over the ice. The Russian rookie had the puck but couldn’t roof the disc over the net minder.

Benjamin Casavant got called for tripping at 5:55 but Saint John didn’t have any good chances on the power play despite some decent pressure.

Adam Polasek headed off at 11:25 followed by Kirkpatrick just over a minute later. PEI had some good pressure on the four-on-four play but couldn’t score.

Petersen was left all alone in the slot with just over five minutes to go but could only let a weak wrist shot go on goal. Then Thomas was robbed on a tip after Nathan Beaulieu sent a cross crease pass to his stick.

But Saint John finally got it together at 17:41. Kirkpatrick centered a pass from below the goal line to Petersen who was all alone in front. He slipped the puck into the empty cage to tie the tilt at 1-1.

Shots in the third frame were 7-2 Saint John.

It was all Saint John in overtime. Kirkpatrick had the first chance when he was left all alone at the side of the net but had his shot blocked. Then Phillips was sent in on a short breakaway but was challenged nicely by Mosher who made the save.

Then it was magic time for Tomas Jurco. Hoffman had the puck behind the net and gave a quick pass to Jurco sitting in front. The Slovak slid the puck under Mosher, putting the Dogs into delirium and the Rocket into disbelief.

Shots in overtime were 4-1 for the visitors.

NOTES: See Station Nation tomorrow for Sea Dogs Post-Game Notebook.

NEXT GAME: Saint John looks the end the series Friday night at 7:30 pm at Harbour Station.

PRE-GAME PREVIEWThe Saint John Sea Dogs responded well following a 6-3 loss at Harbour Station on Saturday.

Marco Cousineau recorded the shutout as the Dogs breezed by the Rocket 3-0 at the Charlottetown Civic Centre last night. The play was mostly in the Saint John end, with the majority of PEI’ s shots not being anywhere near a legitimate scoring chance.

Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant called out his defense following the loss Saturday, but had theur moments last night on the Island.

A win for the Dogs tonight will give Saint John a huge edge heading into game five back home.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGThe consensus pick for this series is Sea Dogs in five games.

Following a disappointing 6-3 loss to the Prince Edward Island Rocket on Saturday at Harbour Station, the Saint John Sea Dogs head coach called out his defense.

Their response was as good as it gets.

The Sea Dogs shutout the Rocket 3-0 at the Charlottetown Civic Centre on Tuesday night and now own a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.

Scoring for Saint John was Jonathan Huberdeau, Danick Gauthier, and Mike Hoffman.

Marco Cousineau picked up his first shutout of the post-season by stopping all 24 shots he faced. The Sea Dogs goaltender and former Rocket was hardly challenged in goal as PEI had practically no traffic in front of him.

The Rocket went 0/5 on the power play while Saint John went 0/4.

Just 48 second into the game, Yann Sauve got called for elbowing. Saint John did a superb job on the penalty kill, not allowing a shot on goal in the two minute span. After a fast start with both teams skating hard, the pace slowed down considerably.

After PEI had some good pressure around Marco Cousineau, Christian Morin let a point shot go on Evan Mosher but was stopped easily as Nicholas Petersen missed the tip. Mike Hoffman let a wide range shot go shortly after with Mosher making the shoulder save and the rebound cleared away by a defenseman. Zach Phillips had the best chance early when he let a shot go on Mosher that caused a scramble in the crease.

Samson Mahbod got called for cross checking at 11:09. The Sea Dogs had some good pressure and a few quality shots early in the man advantage but failed to score.

Saint John made it 1-0 at 14:33 when Jonathan Huberdeau scored his second of the post-season. Huberdeau was situated below the goal line and sent a trickling shot on net. Mosher was caught off guard with the puck going off his shoulder and in to give the Dogs their first lead since the second period on Saturday.

Mike Thomas had the last chance set up a goal in the frame, as he centered for Danick Gauthier but the puck rolled off his stick.

Shots in the first period were 12-5 for the visitors.

Before play started in the second period, Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant flipped out in front of his home province crowd after being called for an “illegal substitution.” The Rocket could not find the net on the power play and failed to score.

The Sea Dogs bench got their revenge at 2:21 when Danick Gauthier got his first. Stephen MacAulay fed the streaking Gauthier as he crossed the blue line with the draft eligible forward roofing a quick shot over Mosher to make it a 2-0 game.

Saint John had lots of pressure after the goal until Louis-Philippe Lacroix nailed Kevin Gagne along the boards with a big hit. But the Dogs bounced back after the hit, with Stanislav Galiev all alone in the slot but had his shot blocked at the last minute.

Galiev got called for tripping at 9:53, but the Rocket were unsuccessful on the power play again and failed to register a shot on goal.

Gauthier then had a great chance as he cut through the outer rim of the PEI crease with the puck on his stick. But net minder Evan Mosher made a great play with the paddle to keep the shot from entering the crease.

With Jonathan Bonneau in the box at 16:16, Galiev was robbed at the side of the net by the leather of Mosher. That would be the best opportunity for the Port City on the man advantage.

After Michael Stinziani had a good chance broken up by Sauve, Saint John managed to extend their lead shortly after. Simon Despres entered the PEI zone and let a bad angle shot on Mosher. The puck bounced off the goaltenders pad where Mike Hoffman sat with the empty net. That made it 3-0 Dogs at 19:53.

Petersen almost made it a 4-0 game off a faceoff at center ice in the final 10 seconds. The 20-year old had two good chances on Mosher but was denied on both.

Shots in the second were 7-6 in favour of Canada’s smallest province.

Petersen let a hard shot go to start the third period that hit Mosher square in the shoulder area. The Rocket net minder laid face first on the ice for a few moments before going back to his goal posts.

Simon Despres got sent to the box at 6:12. Samson Mahbod almost got the Rocket back in the contest when he sent a shot that banked off Sauve and sat in the crease for a moment. But that would be the best chance for the Rocket on the power play.

Jordon Southorn knocked down Petersen at 9:58. On the Saint John man advantage, the best chance came when a point shot went wide and bounced back into the crease, forcing Mosher to close the pads on the tricky play.

After Jarrad Struthers was stopped on a turn over in close by Cousineau, Despres got called for delay of game at 14:35. But that was quickly cancelled out after a Benjamin Casavant hit took down Thomas at 15:06.

Galiev had the last good chance on a breakaway but sent the shot high and over the net to keep this game at 3-0.

Shots in the third were 12 apiece. Saint John outshot PEI 30-24 in the game.

SCRATCHES: Aiden Kelly missed the game with a concussion. Kelly is beginning to ride the stationary bike again but no time for his return has been set. Steven Anthony missed his second straight game with a groin injury. Chuckie Schembri took Anthony’s spot in the line-up. Gabriel Bourret was a healthy scratch.

NOTES: Mike Thomas returned from a six game suspension… Yann Sauve was booed by the Rocket faithful throughout the game after his elbow in the first period… this was Marco Cousineau’s second straight shutout win at the Civic Centre… with Travis Fullerton being the only other Saint John net minder to record a playoff shutout, Cousineau ties a franchise record… former Sea Dog Alexandre Leduc was at this game. He was also at Saturday’s game in Saint John… Simon Despres was on the ice for all three goals while Adam Polasek of the Rocket was also on the sheet... comment from"Guest" on Charles Reid's live blog: "well crap."

NEWS 88.9 TOP DOG: Marco Cousineau

REPORT FOR THE REPORTER: According to Guardian reporter Charles Reid’s live blog, Scott Briggs of the Telegraph-Journal said that the Sea Dogs were testing the Civic Centre boards at morning practice for bounces.

TRIPLE TUESDAY: This was the third Tuesday game of the season for Saint John with all of them being played against the Rocket. The Dogs are 2-1 in those games.

STRANGE CALL: A bizarre penalty call was given to the Dogs to start the second period after Saint John pulled off an illegal player switch. Here is what the NHL Rule Book says about “Illegal Substitutions:”

68.1 Illegal Substitution – An illegal substitution shall be deemed to have occurred when a player enters the game illegally from either the players’ bench (teammate not within the five (5) foot limit, refer to Rule 74 – Too Many Men on the Ice), from the penalty bench (penalty has not yet expired), when a major penalty is being served and the replacement player does not return to the ice from the penalty bench (see 68.2), or when a player illegally enters the game for the sole purpose of preventing an opposing player from scoring on a breakaway (see 68.3 and 68.4).

PRE-GAME PREVIEWIt is a whole new series, and tonight is game one of the new contest.

With a Prince Edward Island victory on Saturday night in Saint John, the Rocket have evened the series and have made it a best-of-five affair.

The Sea Dogs didn’t show up on Saturday night on home-ice, just one night after a 8-3 white washing of the Rocket. Saint John struggled defensively and allowed several goals that came off defensive miscues. It was the second period that killed the Dogs, as PEI scored two quick ones to take the lead and the momentum.

Whoever wins tonight will have all the confidence and momentum moving forward.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGThe consensus pick for this series is Sea Dogs in five games.

CRAZY FACTMike Thomas returns from a six game suspension tonight. In six regular season games against the Rocket, Thomas has 26 penalty minutes for an average of 4.3 PIM per game.

SAINT JOHN LINE-UP NOTESMike Thomas returns from a six game suspension tonight.

Aiden Kelly will miss the game with a concussion. Head coach Gerard Gallant said on “The Drive” yesterday that Kelly is beginning to ride the stationary bike again. Gallant also said that Steven Anthony is questionable for tomorrows tilt with a groin injury.

“Psychologically (the win is) a positive and it makes you believe even more going forward,” Micalef said.

QUESTIONABLE COMMENTThe PEI Rocket have not sold-out a game in years, yet Fred MacDonald said this in The Guardian on Saturday:

I expect the Civic Centre will be filled for these two playoff games, so let’s hope fans can support the local club like they should.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Sea Dogs are rocking a terrific 50% power play rating in the two games against the Rocket. In the regular season, Saint John had a 24.3% rating.

Evan Mosher was terrific on Saturday night making some amazing saves. He is the definition of a game breaker for the Rocket.

Saint John is 3-1 at the Civic Centre this year. Their only loss was a 4-0 shutout defeat in October. Current Saint John net minder Marco Cousineau was in goal for PEI.

The Sea Dogs are 1-1 all-time in game three games played in the first round.

THE RINKVenue: Charlottetown Civic CentreCapacity: 3,690Average Attendance: 2,055Notes: The "civic centre", as it is commonly called, was built in 1989-1990 and opened in the fall of 1990 as the principal venue for the 1991 Canada Winter Games which Prince Edward Island hosted in February, 1991.

Monday, March 22, 2010

DO NOT PANICMany of the more casual fans have hit the panic button on this post-season following a 6-3 loss to PEI on home ice. If you encounter any of these folks, try to explain some of these things to them:

The QMJHL playoff format was created by baboons, making the Sea Dogs play a much tougher opponent in the first round than in most sports leagues.

With the next two games on the road, it may be a positive for the Sea Dogs. Saint John finished the season with a better road record than home.

If they start ranting about the Gelinas/Cousineau trade, tell them that the former Dogs goalie was pulled in game one of their first round series, and has since lost the starting roll. Cousineau was born for the playoffs.

But if they start saying stuff like what was posted on the Sea Dogs’ Facebook page, you have already lost them:

"if they lose to pei you want see me at harbour station again!"

JOHNSTON SUSPENDEDThe Maritime Junior ‘A’ Hockey League has suspended Summerside Western Capitals forward and Sea Dogs prospect Will Johnston for 10 games. League president Derryl Smith announced the suspension last Monday. Johnston was assessed a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in Game 4 of the best-of-seven Roger Meek Division semifinal series against the Miramichi Timberwolves in Summerside on Thursday night.

“Based on the other suspensions that we had and being consistent with what the board of governors want, that is basically how I arrived at the ruling,” said Smith. “I watched the videotapes from the other suspensions and how severe they were and the intent with them, and I came up with 10 games.”

Miramichi captain Chris Owens, who was named the league’s player of the year and top defenceman on Friday, was knocked out of the series after suffering a Grade 3 concussion and multiple facial fractures on the play, which took place just inside the blue-line on the right wing by the Miramichi bench. Capitals general manager Gabe Keough said the team will appeal the suspension. Johnston, who has been suspended five times this season, attended a hearing in Amherst, N.S., on Sunday.

THE NERVES GOT THE BEST OF THEMThe PEI Rocket are saying that nerves played a big roll in their poor performance on Friday night.

“We played a very solid game (Saturday). We were clutch offensively,” said Eric Lavigne, Rocket head coach to The Guardian. “(Friday) we looked a bit nervous. (Saturday) was a good comeback.”

"I think the problem in Game 1 is that a lot of guys were nervous because it was their first playoff (game),'' said Rocket forward Samson Mahbod to the Telegraph-Journal. "We knew we had to show a lot of character.

POLL RESULTSLast week’s poll results are in. The question was: How far will the Sea Dogs go in the playoffs?

The results can be found below:Out on round one- 8Out in round two- 5Out in round three- 9All the way- 21

Thank-you to everyone who voted.

JEAN ROUGEAU EXPLAINEDTelegraph-Journal columnist Peter McGuire took a look at just who this Jean Rougeau guy was and why a trophy was named after him.

Good stuff with some great player reactions. Click HERE to read the article.

JURCO ON HIGHLIGHT REELTomas Jurco’s amazing shootout goal against Cape Breton is on display in the Mazda QMJHL Plays of the Week.

Acadie-Bathurst Titan backstop Guillaume Nadeau was named the rookie of the month after collecting three wins in as many starts while posting a 2.33 goals-against-average and .914 save percentage. All three of his wins were recorded against the Halifax Mooseheads. The Titan registered five wins in their last ten regular season games.

A TRUE HONORAt the fifth annual Sea Dogs Awards Banquet last week, all players that were with the team during its epic 22-game winning streak were given plaques honoring the achievement. But two players who were involved with the run are no longer with the organization. Both Benjamin Lecomte and Marc-Antoine Gelinas will have plaques sent to the according to the Telegraph-Journal.

During the streak, Gelinas won 15 games, had a 1.83 goals against average along with a .933 save percentage.

NO DICEAfter leading the way for much of the season, Nicholas Petersen and Mike Hoffman failed to reach the top spot in TSN’s Player Power Rankings – the last rank of the regular season.

Hoffman finished in fourth, Petersen in fifth, and Michael Kirkpatrick in 15th. For Sea Dog Marc-Antoine Gelinas (who is still listed as a Saint John player) wound up in ninth.

LIGHTING THE LAMPFormer Sea Dog and current Drummondville Voltigeur Chris DiDomenico has found his scoring touch again.

After returning from eight months of rehab due to a broken leg, DiDomenico played in 12 regular season games and scored seven goals and 15 assists in those games. The Volts also won their final 16 games.

So far in the post-season, “Dido” is tied with Kelsey Tessier of the Moncton Wildcats for the league scoring lead. The Woodbridge, Ont. Native has two goals and five assists in two games.

LIVING THE HIGH LIFEA recent report issued by the QMJHL shows that the Sea Dogs have some dangerous weapons when it comes to the playoffs.

Mike Hoffman is the active life time leader in playoff goals scored in the league with 21. He sits second behind Chris DiDomenico as the active assist leader with 34. Nicholas Petersen sits third in game winning playoff goals with three.

Goaltender Marco Cousineau leads all active goaltenders in playoff wins with 14, goals against average at 2.45, and games played with 23.